The Graven Acolyte
Rough_Rock
- Joined
- Jun 22, 2007
- Messages
- 20
You will remember me from this thread. In it, you guys were tremendously helpful to me, teaching me how to select a setting and a diamond, letting me know what I could do on my budget, and providing me with tons of suggestions. Thank you so much, every last one of you.
So... why have I created a new thread? Well, here''s what I did: I spoke with my darling girlfriend. Really, I wanted to completely surprise her. But if all the options you guys showed me taught me anything, it''s that, even on a budget, there are a lot of things you can do. And as much as I don''t want to spoil any of the surprise, I knew that I could talk to her about it. So I did. And the feedback she provided me with was invaluable.
I''d love to continue on in my original thread, but the fact is that I''m now going in a considerably different direction and would like to elicit some brand new opinions and suggestions. If you put a lot of work into your response in my original thread, do not be disheatened; it''s because of you I''ve gotten this far. It''s just time to take a fresh look at my options.
Let me begin with the certainties:
My Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Need a Ring By: July 10th at the absolute latest.
Budget: Would really like to keep it between $1,200-$1,500. (I have been looking a little higher, though.)
Center Stone: A .40 carat+ diamond with a superior cut. She prefers princess, and has voiced a liking for asscher, as well.
Setting: Must be white gold. She would like something a little special; i.e., not just a solitaire. We''re looking at a lot of rings with sidestones. Also, she''d like a thinner band. We love some of the antique replicas we''re looking at. The antiques, especially the understated art deco designs, are delicate yet provide that "something different". I''d still like something engravable, but it doesn''t have to be--we''re going to be getting our wedding bands engraved.
Size: Six.
Designs we both like:
Number One
We both love this ring. Unfortunately, it''s a synthetic, and I haven''t been able to find anything quite like it. She loves the baguettes. I really like them too. Unfortunately, channel-set rounds are much more common; and she doesn''t like the combination of the round center stone and round sidestones. The band''s also a bit wider than we probably want.
Number Two
Gosh, aren''t those aquamarines beautiful? And they''re almost her favourite colour. Love the way they accent the center stone. This setting is a little pricey, however, and really doesn''t have the other features we want.
Number Three
This was probably my favourite ring that you guys helped me find in my first thread. However, my girlfriend didn''t really like the round sidestones. What we do just adore is the "cross prong basket".
Number Four
Nothing special about the ring itself, but we thought the heart in the basket was sweet.
Number Five
A wonderful find by EBree, in my original thread. My girlfriend loves this design of sidestone. (Tapered vertical baguettes?)
A few other antiques she mentioned to me she loves: A B C
Her dream? A setting similar to A, B, or C, with the sidestones of number five the colour of the aquamarines from number two, and the heart in the basket from number four. That would be a custom job... and we don''t have the money for that. But what about a dainty, antique setting with tapered, aquamarine baguettes and a princess cut center stone? What would it take to make that happen? Most of the pre-designed rings I see with coloured sidestones are either sapphires or rubies.
As always, my sincerest thanks.
So... why have I created a new thread? Well, here''s what I did: I spoke with my darling girlfriend. Really, I wanted to completely surprise her. But if all the options you guys showed me taught me anything, it''s that, even on a budget, there are a lot of things you can do. And as much as I don''t want to spoil any of the surprise, I knew that I could talk to her about it. So I did. And the feedback she provided me with was invaluable.
I''d love to continue on in my original thread, but the fact is that I''m now going in a considerably different direction and would like to elicit some brand new opinions and suggestions. If you put a lot of work into your response in my original thread, do not be disheatened; it''s because of you I''ve gotten this far. It''s just time to take a fresh look at my options.
Let me begin with the certainties:
My Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Need a Ring By: July 10th at the absolute latest.
Budget: Would really like to keep it between $1,200-$1,500. (I have been looking a little higher, though.)
Center Stone: A .40 carat+ diamond with a superior cut. She prefers princess, and has voiced a liking for asscher, as well.
Setting: Must be white gold. She would like something a little special; i.e., not just a solitaire. We''re looking at a lot of rings with sidestones. Also, she''d like a thinner band. We love some of the antique replicas we''re looking at. The antiques, especially the understated art deco designs, are delicate yet provide that "something different". I''d still like something engravable, but it doesn''t have to be--we''re going to be getting our wedding bands engraved.
Size: Six.
Designs we both like:
Number One
We both love this ring. Unfortunately, it''s a synthetic, and I haven''t been able to find anything quite like it. She loves the baguettes. I really like them too. Unfortunately, channel-set rounds are much more common; and she doesn''t like the combination of the round center stone and round sidestones. The band''s also a bit wider than we probably want.
Number Two
Gosh, aren''t those aquamarines beautiful? And they''re almost her favourite colour. Love the way they accent the center stone. This setting is a little pricey, however, and really doesn''t have the other features we want.
Number Three
This was probably my favourite ring that you guys helped me find in my first thread. However, my girlfriend didn''t really like the round sidestones. What we do just adore is the "cross prong basket".
Number Four
Nothing special about the ring itself, but we thought the heart in the basket was sweet.
Number Five
A wonderful find by EBree, in my original thread. My girlfriend loves this design of sidestone. (Tapered vertical baguettes?)
A few other antiques she mentioned to me she loves: A B C
Her dream? A setting similar to A, B, or C, with the sidestones of number five the colour of the aquamarines from number two, and the heart in the basket from number four. That would be a custom job... and we don''t have the money for that. But what about a dainty, antique setting with tapered, aquamarine baguettes and a princess cut center stone? What would it take to make that happen? Most of the pre-designed rings I see with coloured sidestones are either sapphires or rubies.
As always, my sincerest thanks.